**CANCELLED** Non-Stop to Paradise: Internet Media and Migration to Hawaii

Migration is a complex process involving several stages of research, adjustment and reflection, and complicated by costs, travel logistics and social ties. Despite the Internet’s important role in accessing information and shaping perceptions about new places, limited research exists on the Internet’s role in facilitating individual migration. This study explores how blogs, question and answer websites and YouTube videos motivate migration to Hawaii.

The intent of this paper is to explore how the Internet is used in consideration of voluntary relocation to another geographic location, and to uncover the nature of discussions that occur online regarding migration. Mixed research methods were employed in this study including interviews and qualitative analysis of blogs, discussion websites, and YouTube videos. The research revealed all participants in the study used the Internet to find necessary information and facilitate migration. In social media spaces, pre-migrants expressed a desire to form new ties with post-migrants, while several post-migrants used social media and websites to further their businesses “selling” their dream lives in Hawaii. The research also unpacked tense online discussions about post-migrant experiences with discrimination and racism in Hawaii.

This paper provides insight on the use of Internet media in migration from the perspective of Hawaii post-migrants and considers the role of changing work cultures and Internet economics in user-generated content on migration.